The disclosure relates generally to coaxial cable connectors, and particularly to angled coaxial cable connectors capable of being attached to a coaxial cable.
Coaxial cable connectors such as RCA, BNC and F-connectors are used to attach coaxial cable to another object such as an appliance or junction having a terminal adapted to engage the connector. F-connectors are often used in conjunction with a length of coaxial cable to create a cable assembly to interconnect components of a cable television system. The coaxial cable typically includes a center conductor surrounded by a dielectric, in turn surrounded by a conductive grounding foil and/or braid; the conductive grounding arrangement is itself surrounded by a protective outer jacket. The F-connector is secured over the prepared end of the jacketed coaxial cable by use of a crimp or compression tool specifically designed to actuate said connector. Once secured to the coaxial cable, the connector is then capable transferring signal by engaging a threaded connection found on typical CATV electronic devices such as taps and amplifiers.
Some connectors utilize what is known as a “pop up pin” feature. The pop up pin feature is useful to the connector installer as an indicator that the cable center conductor installation is properly accomplished within the connector. Pop up pin technology has been previously unavailable in angled connector designs due in no small part to mechanical design challenges presented by the movement of a pin around an angle.
Installation of a connector onto a corresponding externally threaded port is typically accomplished by rotating the coupling nut of the connector using finger pressure until the coupling nut cannot be further rotated by hand. Then, a wrench is applied to the typically hexagonal shaped coupling nut to secure the connection using the required amount of torque to ensure a dependable junction.
Historically, the hex size of a coupling nut on what is identified as the “male” connector is on the order of 7/16 inches with some versions sized at ½ inches or 9/16 inches. The 7/16 inch hex is, by far, the most common size utilized in the CATV connector field and, as a result, most tools i.e., wrenches, carried by installation technicians are of that dimension. These wrenches include both standard wrenches and torque limiting wrenches commonly known as torque wrenches.
The 7/16 inch hex size coupler is particularly well suited for use on connectors accepting series 6 cables and smaller because of their naturally compact size as dictated by the diameter of the corresponding cables. Typically, the bodies of these types of connectors are on the order of 7/16 inches in diameter allowing relatively easy access to the male connector coupling nut with fingers and various wrenches.
A problem, however, can arise when larger connectors, such as those capable of accepting series 11 cable, are utilized in the field. Said connectors typically utilize connector bodies on the order of 9/16 inches in diameter. This increased body size over that of series 6 connectors can obscure or at least partially obscure a coupling nut with a 7/16 inch hex configuration, making it difficult to reach said coupling nut for purposes of installation and removal from a female port.
One method used to address this issue is to employ a coupling nut with ½ or 9/16 inch hex configuration. However, this provides a difficulty for the field technician equipped with only a 7/16 inch wrench. In particular, this provides a difficulty for the technician who is required to use a comparatively expensive torque wrench on all connectors installed outside of a structure when his only torque wrench has an aperture of 7/16 inches.
Another problem often encountered with relatively larger connectors relates to withstanding forces applied essentially perpendicular to the axis of the connector. Forces induced by wind, snow load, or physically pulling on the cable are capable of mechanically breaking the outer conductor mechanism of many of the products currently on the market.
An additional issue encountered by the use of 7/16 inch coupling nuts on relatively large-bodied connectors is the resistance of said coupling nut to rotation when in contact with a sealing member, such as an o-ring or the like. The relatively small coupling nut is difficult to grasp by reaching around the large connector body and the impingement of the o-ring necessary to prevent moisture ingress renders the coupling difficult to rotate. Additionally, this impingement of said o-ring causes difficulty in rotation for couplers of various hex sizes, such as 9/16 inch hex and various other configurations.
In situations where larger hexagonal coupling nuts (coupling nuts on the order of 9/16 inches) are utilized, it is often advantages to rotatably attach said coupling nut to the related connector body by means of a retaining ring or snap ring. This type of arrangement, however, can be difficult to implement due to requirement of use of special factory assembly tooling and methods to ensure that said snap ring remains centered during assembly and is properly positioned after assembly.
Many of the applications noted above employ the use of straight connectors where the longitudinal centerline of the connector is coaxially aligned with the longitudinal centerline of the coaxial cable. The construction of angled connectors is typically more complex than the construction of straight connectors because of the difficulty of maintaining mechanical and electrical characteristics of the coaxial structure around an angled bend. Typically a fabricated center conductor is captured within the connector body and insulated with various dielectric configurations. Additionally, in angled connectors, it is often difficult to achieve comparable electrical performance to that of a straight connector due to interruptions in along the center conductor path.